Feeding apparatus



July 22, 1952 2,604,246

R. S. HOOD FEEDING APPARATUS' Filed Nov. 27. 1948 2 SHEETS-SHEE'I 1 45. Hood,

Patented July 22, 1952 FEEDING APPARATUS Ralph S. Hood, Marblehead, Mass, assignor to Monsanto Chemical Company, St. Louis, Mo., a

corporation of Delaware Application November 27, 1948, Serial No. 62,267

2 Claims.

The present invention relates to an improved valve which is particularly adapted for use in controlling the flow of finely divided, free-flowing materials, as when packaging such materials or filling containers or like spaces therewith.

In filling containers with finely divided, freeflowing materials of the nature of aerogels, bentonite, diatomaceous earth, sawdust and the like, it is often difiicult to stop the flow of material quickly, especially when filling a container continuously through an open port therein which is connected by a pipe to a source of supply. Moreover, it is frequently, difiicult to pack the material satisfactorily during the filling operation with the result that settling occurs when the container is subsequently jostled or vibrated, as during shipping or while otherwise being used. Thus in conventional filling operations it is generally necessary to pack the powdered material by a separate operation after the filling is completed, then to add additional material, pack down the added increment, and then repeat the operation until no further settling of the material is possible. This has been an especially cumbersome procedure when filling the hollow walls of refrigerator cabinets and like spaces with finely divided insulating material.

It is accordingly one object of the present invention to provide a quick acting valve which is not only capable of controlling theflow of powdered or other finely divided material during filling operations, but is also adapted simultaneously to pack the material in the container or other space to be filled.

A further object of the invention is the provisio of a valve of the type described which can be readily inserted in the feed line from a storage vessel or other source of supply and is also adapted for quick mounting over the filling port of a container or hollow wall which is to be filled with finely divided material.

Still further objects and advantages of the present invention will appear from the following description whe taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.

The improved valve of this invention in general comprises a rigid outer Wall or casing, within which is inserted a thin elastic lining, which is normally positioned adjacent to the rigid outer wall, but which may be laterally distended or stretched as by air pressure to a position in which its inner surfaces contact each other over a substantial area, thereby closing off the passageway normally existing centrally thereof. The air pressure is exerted against the outer surfaces of the inner lining, and is applied in such a way as to cause the central portion of the elastic walls to contact first, after which the walls contact progressively downward. Moreover, the lower half of the walls of the inner lining are made thinner than the upper half with the result that the bottom portion of the lining tends to balloon downwardly on applying the air pressure, thereby exerting a pushing action on any material present centrally of the tube and near the bottom thereof.

A further understanding of the inventio will be obtained from the accompanying drawings, in which like parts are designated by the same numbers, and in which Figure 1 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the valve claimed herein in combinatio with a conveyor pipe and a refrigerator cabinet to be filled with powdered insulating material;

Figure 2 represents an enlarged vertical sectional view of the valve shown in Figure 1 showing the valve in open position and fragmentary portions of the conveyor pipe and refrigerator cabinet to be filled;

Figure 3 is a further representation of Figure 2, but illustrating the valve in an initially closed position (dotted lines) and finally closed position (solid lines) Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the valve in open position take along the line 4-4 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the valve in closed position taken along the line 5-5 of Figure 3.

Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings illustrate the combination of a conveyor pipe ID, the valve constituting the present invention, which is generally designated by the numeral H, and a conventional refrigerator cabinet l2 which is to be filled with finely divided insulating material. The valve ll comprises an outer wall or casing l3 which is constructed of any suitable rigid supporting material such as wood, metal, hard rubber, plastic and the like, a thin elastic membrane or lining I 4 inserted therein and tightly fastened or sealed at each end by suitable means, such as clamps, cement or the like, and a pipe l5 for supplying air under pressure from a supply source (not shown) to the substantially air tight chamber or space [6 formed between the inner surface of casing l3 and the outer surface of lining II.

The feed end of valve II is connected to the conveyor pipe ill in any suitable manner. In

Figures 1, 2 and 3 conveyor pipe I which is of rubber bellows construction is merely inserted over a portion of lining I and easing I3. However, clamps or other suitable joining means may be employed depending upon the materials of construction employed in pipe III and easing I3. In the same figures the valve II is shown as fastened to the cabinet I2 by screws. However, this is by way of illustration only. Since valve II is only temporarily connected to cabinet I2 during the filling operation, any suitable fasten.- ing means such as clips, clamps and thelikemay be used to hold the valve I I to cabinet I2.

Casing I3 of valve II is illustratedinFigures 4 and 5 as having a square-cross section.- However, this is not necessary for the proper functioning of the valve, and it may have any suitable cross sectional form or configuration such as a circle, triangle, rectangle, polygon-and the like. The only requisite is that the size of the cross sectional opening be sufiiciently large :to permit the flow of finelydivided materials. Moreover, it is :not essential that casing I3 be straight asillustratedin. igures ,l- 3 since it'may change ,in direction .by as :much as 90 between the-feed end at conveyor :pipe I0 and the exit endatrefrigerator'cabinet I2. 1

As illustrated in Figures 2 and l, theelastic membrane-I4 provides ailining-for the inner-surface of casing I3. The membrane Mis clamped as illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 at the fQQd-ielld of valve II between casing I 3 andpipfi iifigand at the exit end of valve ,I-I between-the integral flange 11 at the lower end of wall 1-3 and the raised portion I8 surrounding the open :port in the outer wall I9 of cabinet 12. However, the pe nd l wer ed es .of memb an ay be cemented -,directly to the top and bottom portions of easing It or to the internal or external surfaces thereof. Moreover, it is not essential, although it is preferred, that-membrane 14 be so constructed as to .line the=entire inner surface of easing I3 as illustratedin Figures 2 and f1. For example-it is possible -to use a lining which covers only a portion of the inner surface of the outer casing. Thus, the linin need notextend over the entire length of the casing andit is possible to employ a lining which normally covers only two sides of the casingr in the case of a square construction. In such instances pipe I5 should be so located that it can suppl compressed air into the space It between lining I4 andcasing I3.

Furthermore lining I4 need not fit snugly against the casing I3 when the valve is inthe open position. The open-position of valve II is illustrated in Figures 2 and 4. Lining 'may .be spaced from casing 43 in such instances to ,any desired extent providing, of course, "that seamless. It may be made of any elastic material such as syntheticelastomers, that is .copolymers of styrene and butadiene, .polyisobutylene and the like, or any other material which is adapted to expand or distendwhen subjectedto air pressure and return to its original configuration or form when the air pressure is released. The lining may be satisfactorily constructed from films or sheets of such material by shaping such films or sheets into a tube of the desired crosssectional configuration and then cementing or otherwise joining the edges thereof to form a closed, substantially air tight seam or joint. It isessential, however, that the membrane be thin in cross-section so that itwill inflate easily and quickly at a relatively low air pressure to form a substantially air tight closure. In general, the membrane I4 and particularly its lower half should be sufficiently thin to require external support, and :to give a substantially air tight clo- "sure when inflated or distended as illustrated in Figure 5. The criterion is rapid inflation of themembrane or distention inwardly at air pressures of about 2 to 10 pounds per square inch (gauge), that is, rapid and substantially complete closure of the valve followed by a ballooning-action parallel to the-axis ofgfiowofmaterials passing through theyaIve.

The thickness of the membrane or lining I4 may be varied depending upon the size :of the valve. When the cross-sectional dimensions of the valve asillustrated in Figure 4 range between 3 inches by 3 inches and 6 inches by 6,inches and the length ,or height of'the valve illustrated in Figure 2 is betweenfi inches and 10 inches, a membrane having a cross-sectional thickness varying between about 0.03 inch and 0,18 inch has been found to give satisfactoryresults, while a membrane having a cross-sectional thickness between about 0.03 inch and 0.09 inch is preferred. Even thinner membranes may be employed in small .valves. Inlarger sized valves .the

membrane may have "thickness approaching about 0.20 inch, although thinner membranes having the cross-sectional thickness described above are still preferred.

In Figures 2 and 3 the lining Idisjllustrated in vertical section with an upper portion 14a of greater thickness than the lower portion ,ness of the-order hereinbefore referred to. fllhe upper portion 44a of lining I4 may be of any convenient thickness, but for best resultsrshould always .be thicker than lower portion Mb. v,Of the total length of lining employed, it is preferredto have the lowerportion l lbcompriseat least of such length although this ;is not essential for the satisfactory operation 0f the valve. If desired, the entire length of tl e lining I4 may consist of rubber or other elastic-material/of the same thickness, although this ,is not as satisfactory since the lining will balloon-upwardly and downwardly when inflated or distended whereas, as will be seen later, it is preferred to have the ballooning action take place primarily in a downward directionas illustrated .in Figure 3.

.air pressure effect a substantially complete vfil r tight-closure of the valve I I and the ballooning action .hereinbefore referred to (as illustrated in Figure 3) The operation of the valve is as follows: Finely powdered insulating material '22 is al.-

lowed to flow by gravity through conveyor pipe if: from a supply source (not shown) through valve H while it is in open position (Figures 2 and l) and thence into the empty space 20 between walls i9 and 2| or refrigerator cabinet ill. The valve is closed after the filling is completed by supplying compressed air through pipe IE to space it thus distending the walls of lining M. The lining I4 is initially distended in this manner to the position illustrated by the dotted lines in Figure 8. In this position the space between the membrane, which is represented by dotted lines, is filled with the insulating material. As the air pressure is increased the exit or lower portion Mb of lining Hi balloons downwardly forcing or packing the material between the dotted lines into space 20. In addition, some of the material 2?. directly below the valve l i is also acted on or packed down by the ballooning action of the lining as illustrated in Figure 3. A suitable vent may be provided in the top of the cabinet to allow air entrapped in the material to escape thereby facilitating the packing action exerted by the membrane. The valve is opened by releasing the air pressure and additional quantities of insulating material may be packed into the refrigerator walls by repeating the procedure one or more times. The packing action exerted depends upon the nature of the material, the quantum of air pressure supplied to the space It between the lining and casing and the thickness of the lining.

What is claimed is:

1. A valve for controlling the flow of finely divided solids, consisting of an outer rigid casing, a thin elastic lining substantially adjacent to the entire inner surface of said casing when the valve is in the normal open position, the edges of said lining being sealed against said casing to provide a substantially air-tight region b.- tween the outer surface of the lining in the casing and the inner surface of the casing, said lining having a lower portion which is thinner in cross-section than the upper portion of said lining, the lower portion of said lining being sufficiently thin to require external support and to balloon inwardly and downwardly when air under pressure is applied to the outer periphery of said lining, and means for suppling air under pressure against the outer periphery of said lining.

2. In combination, a container having an opening in its uppermost surface, a valve positioned above said container and fastened to said container in communicative relationship with said opening in the container, a storage container for finely divided solids positioned above said valve and a conduit connecting the upper portion of said valve and the storage container, said valve consisting of an outer rigid casing, a thin elastic lining substantially adjacent to the entire inner surface of said casing when the valve is in the normal open position, the edges of said lining being sealed against said casing to provide a substantially air-tight region between the outer surface of the lining in the casing and the inner surface of the casing, said lining having a lower portion closest to said first mentioned container, which portion is thinner in cross-section than the upper portion of the lining, the lower portion of said lining being sufficiently thin to require the external support of said casing during the passage of finely divided solids between the walls of said lining and also being sufiiciently thin to balloon inwardly and downwardly when air under pressure is applied to the outer periphery of said lining, and means for supplying air under pressure against the outer periphery of said lining.

RALPH S. HOOD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,026,916 Smith Jan. 7, 1936 2,059,079 Beldin Oct. 27, 1930 2,069,261 Monnet Feb. 2, 1937 2,470,744 Korn May 17, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 37,681 Italy June 1, 1939 

